The alley fell quiet again.
The night wind swept in from its entrance and threaded between the earthen walls, stirring a faint rustle.
Orochimaru rose silently from beneath the ground.
First came his head, then his shoulders, and finally his entire body emerged from the earth like a piece of deadwood hauled from the bottom of a lake, without disturbing a speck of dust.
Silver-gray hair hung over his shoulders. His golden slit pupils gleamed briefly in the shadows as he turned toward Uchiha Itachi. His long tongue slid out and traced the edge of his lips, leaving a glistening trail.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and slick, thick with mockery and disbelief that Itachi would trust Shisui.
"You still dare trust that traitor? He already sold us out once."
Uchiha Itachi did not turn. His gaze remained fixed on the direction Shisui had gone, as though he wanted to hold the last trace of his departing figure in sight.
When he spoke, his voice was cold and firm.
"I know Shisui better than anyone."
"He loves Konoha. He betrayed the Third Hokage before because he hadn't seen Uchiha Yongye's true face."
"This time, he will stand with us!"
"I stake my life on it!"
Kurenai Yuhi walked slowly, replaying what she had seen at the public hearing that day: Rasa's head severed, his body stitched back together, and then his eyes opening as he sat up.
And there was that plain white blade, like a tube of jade formed from moonlight.
Then she remembered her father's face. It had grown hazy in her memory, leaving only a rough outline.
A broad jaw, thick brows, a deep crease beside his mouth. On the night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage, he had not come home.
Kurenai Yuhi took a